1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the process of tabulating votes cast by the television audience for a “Reality TV” show for the express purpose of determining the proper ranking of the show's contestants, and hence, the determination of each of their respective survivals or dismissals from such show.
2. Background of the Invention
The “Reality TV” series American Idol has quickly risen in popularity over the past two years, and has recently been ranked as the most popular show on television according to certain television ratings services. The show features young vocalists from around the United States who compete in a series of sing-offs that ultimately results in the next “American Idol”. The contestants are chosen through a series of auditions at selected locations around the country, who then congregate in Hollywood for a series of televised competitions. A panel of three judges whittles the group down to 12 finalists, who will then enter the final rounds in which one contestant at a time is eliminated by a nationwide vote of viewers (generally one each week).
The nationwide vote is generally held in the two hour period immediately following that week's singing performances, with voting results then tabulated and announced the following night. The votes are done by phone or text messaging, with special dial in numbers announced immediately before the voting period begins. Generally only the order of the bottom three vote getters is announced, without disclosing the actual tallies. The lowest vote getter is then eliminated from the following week's competition.
One problem with the current voting system is that there appears to be irregularity in some of the voting patterns from week to week. Some changes are to be expected as some contestants give stronger relative performances one week compared with another. However, some voting results appear to be suggest that many call in voters are voting based on popularity of the contestant rather than singing skills, as evidenced by voting tallies that are sometimes completely inconsistent with the judges assessment of each contestants' performance. Some voting irregularity may also be due to some complacency of viewers who assume that the better singers don't need their voting support in order to remain in the competition, particularly if those singers have consistently avoided being amongst the bottom three vote getters from prior weeks. Some irregularity may also result from many viewers only seeing part of the show, and thus not being able to make valid comparisons amongst the singers. Some may be due to the fact that the order of singers is different every week, or the correct dial in numbers could be confused. Perhaps the manner in which the judges rate the singers or the manner in which the host reviews each singer's performance immediately before the dial-in number is announced on the television screen may bias voters in different directions during different weeks of the competition. Further voting inconsistencies from week to week may result from different viewers watching the show, perhaps because of competing shows on other networks, or because of conflicts during the two hour call-in period following the show which inhibit potential voters from calling in during a particular week. Perhaps the greatest risk of voting inconsistencies could stem from organized attempts to sabotage the show's results by encouraging voting for the least talented remaining competitor, which appears to be the stated mission of the web site votefortheworst.com.